Can India and Indonesia team up to counter China in the Indo-Pacific?
India and Indonesia can work together to strengthen norms of maritime behaviour that would cover the disputed South China Sea
China is likely to resist the move, but with careful diplomacy, Beijing could be encouraged to accept this emerging order
Indonesian President Joko Widodo, left, inspects troops during a visit to the Natuna Islands on January 8, 2020. Photo: Handout via AP
No Indonesian president wants to wake up and find Chinese illegal fishing vessels flanked by Chinese coastguards around the Natuna Islands at the edges of the South China Sea.
But last month, about 63 Chinese vessels made incursions into Indonesia’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) in the north of the country, claiming “traditional fishing rights†as the basis for their presence.
Read more at: https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3046573/can-india-and-indonesia-team-counter-china-indo-pacific
The map shows the Natuna islands are actually not that close to China, relatively speaking:
There is talk of Japan aiding in this effort too:
https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3046429/indonesia-stands-china-natuna-islands-can-japan-come-rescue
